Myrlie’s Garden opens as leaders commemorate 60th anniversary of Medgar Evers assassination

by

Will Stribling

• Published on June 8, 2023 • Last modified on June 9, 2023 • Comments

Myrlie Evers, second from right, waves the bow after she and her daughter Reena Evers-Everette, right, unveil the new park sign for Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, June 8, 2023. The event was designed to both celebrate recent preservation and protection efforts that extend access to the Evers story and to open a weekend-long commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 963 assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Thursday, June 8, 2023.
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The National Park Service is again recognizing the life and legacy of Medgar Evers and his wife, Myrlie Evers-Williams. A new community garden has been created in Jackson to honor Evers ahead of the 60th anniversary of his assassination on Monday.

Will Stribling

Myrlie’s Garden opens as leaders commemorate 60th anniversary of Medgar Evers assassination

Members of the Evers family attended the ceremony opening Myrlie's Garden to the public as part of a week-long celebration of Medgar Evers’ life and legacy.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba thanked the Evers family for their courage and leadership during the ceremony.

“I want you to recognize the humanity here," Lumumba said. "The humanity of a family that has given it all. The humanity of a family that did not allow a coward’s bullet to stop them."

After Medgar’s assassination, Evers-Williams went on to serve as national chair of the NAACP and found theMedgar & Myrlie Evers Institute. Earlier this week, Evers-Williams was honored during a program in her hometown of Vicksburg.

Myrlie Evers-Williams shared memories with attendees, like that of her daughter Reena comforting her as she cried the day after Medgar's assassination. Now 90 years old, Evers says she feels strong and wise.

“I'm strong in the faith of my God, but I'm also strong in the faith that I have in humanity," Evers-Williams said. "I do believe that we as human beings have yet to reach our potential."

Myrlie’s Garden will act as a space for those who visit the Evers home to reflect. It will also provide produce for the community, with things like tomatoes, peppers and lavender already growing. The garden is built on previously vacant lots on Missouri Street, just a few houses down from the Evers home.

Mark Foust, southwest director of the National Park Service, said that through investments and renovations made over the last few years, the sites are now positioned to inspire and challenge visitors for years to come.

"It will only be by working as a team to support each other and this place that we will do the history and the heroes justice," Foust said.

Those who want to tour the Evers home can now do so by making a reservation with the National Park Service.